Abstract:In a new twist on the idea of using geo-fencing to limit access to mission critical data, new network security startup HOPZERO is using the ability to limit the number of routing hops that network packets can take to protect sensitive data. The company founders, who have a deep understanding of how TCP/IP networking protocols work, developed a technique called "hop starvation" to limit the number of bridge, router and gateway hops that a packet can travel to just the number required to do its job.Should someone attempt to move data beyond that hop count, the network device at the end of the legitimate hop number essentially discards the packets and notifies a management console about the event using industry standard Internet Control Message Protocols. The technique, delivered in the startup's flagship Hop Sphere Radius Security product, addresses a dirty little secret about the default hop settings used in industry standard operating systems and commercial servers: they are set dangerously high. HOPZERO sees its technology as a complement to existing firewalls, and it is initially targeting Global 2000 data centers that require ironclad security for their most sensitive data.